


Well I'm Nobody's Baby, I'm Everybody's Girl, I'm The Queen of Nothing, I'm The King of The World.

by ultimate_orochimaru_simp



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Bruises, But it's like a brotherly hatred, Cheesy, Child Abuse, Crossdressing, Cute, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Gender Identity, He and Kurama hate each other passive-aggressively like humans, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Kissing, Kurama is a cat, M/M, Minor Injuries, Multi, Nature, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Rarepair, Road Trips, Romantic Fluff, Shukaku is also a cat, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, it's just weed, maybe angst idk, they still like each other, they're so cheesy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24622669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultimate_orochimaru_simp/pseuds/ultimate_orochimaru_simp
Summary: Naruto is a nomadic orphan who lives on the streets traveling all over with his 'golden child' orphan boyfriend Sasuke, Gaara is an abused poor kid trying who's been kicked out of his house and is traveling with the dynamic duo, Shikamaru is a stoner dealing with the loss of his father, and Hinata is a 'golden child' running away from her abusive father.They all meet in the middle and create their sanctuary.
Relationships: Gaara/Hyuuga Hinata, Gaara/Hyuuga Hinata/Nara Shikamaru/Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Gaara/Nara Shikamaru, Gaara/Uchiha Sasuke, Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata/Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Jiraiya & Uzumaki Naruto, Jiraiya/Orochimaru (Naruto), Nara Shikamaru/Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikamaru/Uzumaki Naruto, Orochimaru & Uchiha Sasuke, Orochimaru & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 31
Kudos: 83
Collections: Foxy fox 🦊





	1. {1: Well Hey There, Princess}

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So, uh, this is in no way the first fanfiction I've written, but it is the first one I've posted for Naruto and in general! I happen to care a little to much about what people think of me and don't post my things even when I'm proud of them :) :) :) Anywhomst! I hope you enjoy...whatever this is! I've been working on it for a while and I kinda love it! (I am prepared for hate bc some of you scare me-)
> 
> Also, hurrah you if you know where the title is from, I love you now :)
> 
> Updates will be irregular! And by that I mean I can either go from posting 3 times a day to not posting for 2 weeks bc I am currently moving homes!! Sorry if that's a dealbreaker!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata meets Shikamaru on the side of the road while at her worst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I learned how the italics work and I edited this :)

It was raining.

The rain had been coming down all day, getting progressively heavier as the day went on. The weather could be considered normal, even on such a cold March night, but nobody would find it normal for someone to be out in this mess. Despite this fact, a young girl could still be seen trekking down the surprisingly empty country roads just outside of the large city of Konoha. She had nobody with her, walking alone on the long stretch of road, and she looked tired, her fatigue easily shown through the slow dragging of her steps as she made her way down the seemingly endless road.

The girl's pale hands shook violently from the cold as she stared at the ground blankly, walking numbly down the unfamiliar roads. Her fingers and her lips were turning blue as the rain attacked her harshly, soaking her completely and blurring her vision dangerously. She'd been out here for a while, just walking. She didn't know how long she'd been walking, she just knew that she couldn't stop. She just wanted to get out of this hellhole without being kidnapped or killed or robbed. She had a backpack and two suitcases filled with her only possessions. She couldn't afford to lose them.

2 am had hit only a while ago, and the only thing she could see aside from her own legs were the stars shining faintly in the night sky, and the tall trees surrounding her, swaying roughly with the harsh winds and rain.

Her legs were aching from overuse, and her stomach had been growling loudly for the past 10 minutes. Her eyelids were growing heavy, and she noticed the grip she had on her bags growing weaker as she quickly became even more fatigued. She just had to make it to a truck stop or something. She could do it. She groaned painfully as she tripped over something hard, falling to the ground. Her bags clattered to the ground with her, laying hopelessly beside her in the mud. She'd kept it together for a while, but this small inconvenient thing is what broke her. She couldn't take it. She ran her fingers through dark wet hair, her pale white eyes flowing with tears as her body shook violently with sobs. She clutched at her head, yanking at her hair frustratedly as she sobbed loudly, screaming until her throat felt raw.

"WHY, FATHER?! WHY?!"She screamed at the sky, clutching at her chest as it squeezed painfully."HAVEN'T I ALWAYS BEEN EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANTED?!"

Her voice dripped with pain, her tone exhausted, loud, and _broken_.

Sitting there on the side of the road, she continued to cry. She cried and cried and cried and _cried_ , never seeming to run low on tears to shed. Here, right now, sitting under the stars as the nature she loved more than her own family surrounded her, she looked pathetic. So many emotions coursed through her, ranging from anger to self-pity, to sadness. She'd never felt so much in such a small amount of time. She'd never been _allowed_ to.

This was the fate of a fallen 'princess'.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The girl's head snapped up at the sound of a new voice. She hadn't even noticed she'd been approached. Her vision, blurred by rain and now tears, took a second to adjust to the new source of light in front of her. While she'd started wallowing in her own despair, a large and unbelievably fancy RV had parked on the other side of the road. A harsh light spilled from the home vehicle, brightening up her surroundings. The assumed owner of the van kneeled in front of her, a concerned and confused look on his face. The boy seemed somewhat familiar. He had spiky ash black hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and sad narrow brown eyes. Similar to her, he wasn't wearing anything suitable for the rain, but he had an umbrella which he'd positioned over her head to shield her from the harsh weather.

She didn't answer, she just stared incredulously, her jaw practically hitting the floor. She remembered this boy. Shikamaru Nara. She went to school with him. She had for the past 12 years. They had always been somewhat friendly with each other seeing as they had mutual friends. He'd never been a super motivated kid, but he'd always been strangely nice in his own way.

Their current position just proved that.

Shikamaru snapped her out of her daze quickly, snapping his fingers in front of her face as his brows furrowed in concern. The rain attacked his body just as it had been doing to her, filling her with just a tiny bit of guilt."Yoohoo? You doin' alright?"He repeated, speaking loudly over the rain."I saw you sittin' out on the side of the road screaming, so I stopped. What's a girl like you doing all the way out here princess? This is a bit far from home isn't it?"

The girl shook her head, clearing her mind effectively."I...."She whispered, trailing off as she found herself unable to find the right words to say. She didn't know how to explain her current situation."I don't know."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. His eyes scanned her body curiously. She was shaking violently, her eyes could barely stay open, and even in the dark, he could see that her arms were covered in bruises. She wasn't in good shape, mentally or physically. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. She usually seemed so put together whenever he saw her at school or around the city. He called her princess for a reason, but currently, she didn't seem to be living up to his little nickname.

Shikamaru sighed. Internally, he'd just made a decision he'd surely regret later on, but not before it was too late to realize it. Still, now that inner him had decided, there couldn't go back anymore."You look like a fucking wreck."He pointed out, gingerly lifting a stringy strand of lovely dark blue hair in between his fingers to observe closely. He let the hair fall back to her shoulders, sighing deeply."I have towels and shit in my RV. We can stop at a rest stop to get you cleaned up, and then I can drop you wherever you need to go."

The girl stared up at him, her eyes blown wide in surprise."R-really?"Pure acts of kindness were not things a girl of her stature saw often. Because why would the girl who had everything need basic human decency, right? Shikamaru nodded. He jerked his head towards his van, standing to his full height and offering her his hand to help her to her feet.

"Yes."He confirmed."Come on, before you get sick and die from this weather. I don't need that shit on my conscience."

Hinata stared at his hand hesitantly. So many situations ran through her head in just a split second. She'd always been one for overthinking and over-calculation. What better way to prepare for whatever surprise abuse she would endure at home than to calculate her surroundings? This boy, her classmate, could be trying to retrieve her for her parents, he could be trying to ransom her off, or he could even just be trying to kill her for his own personal reasons. She'd experienced all of these situations. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if they happened again.

Still, she didn't really have a choice. If she declined, she would likely sit out here until her fingers froze off and she died of hypothermia. If that didn't happen, her father would rescind all of his earlier comments, and come to forcefully retrieve her. If she accepted Shikamaru's offer, she would at least be warm, dry, and full when she died, if not safe.

Taking a deep breath, she held up a shaky hand, grabbing onto Shikamaru's as tightly as she could. She nodded shakily, a silent agreement to his offer. The taller boy pulled her up gently, still holding the umbrella over the two of them as he smiled softly.

"Good choice princess."

She blushed, covering her face embarrassedly as she bent down to grab her bags."I-I do have a name you k-know."She muttered."It's Hinata. Hinata Hyuuga. You'd think you'd know it after having classes together for 12 years."

"Of course, I know your name, princess. I just don't care all that much."

Hinata huffed uncharacteristically, her lips pulled into a cute little pout that made Shikamaru chuckle. She took a step forward, but she stumbled, tipping over. Shikamaru caught her before she could fall over.

"I don't think you have enough energy to be walking, princess."He drawled."Come on. Drop the bags and lean on me. I'll come back and get them for you."

Hinata did just that, dropping her bags and clutching onto his arm like a lifeline. The two of them walked over to his RV, Hinata practically limping the whole way. The area surrounding the vehicle warmed her almost instantly with the heat from the underneath of the RV. Shikamaru opened up the door, basically carrying her into the home vehicle. He carried her up to the front of the vehicle, setting her down in the passenger's seat where she curled in on herself quickly, still shaking violently.

She watched as he jogged back out into the rain, returning with her bags which he dropped in the living room area. Hinata's eyes were fluttering closed, begging for her to succumb to sleep. The last thing she processed before falling into a deep slumber was Shikamaru laying a blanket over her shivering form, and saying,

"Let's get going, princess."


	2. {2: I'll Stay With You, My New Friend}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru tends to Hinata's wounds, and they talk.

Hinata sighed as she took in all her drenched clothes. She was sitting in the bedroom of Shikamaru's RV, dressed only in a bra and a pair of underwear that hadn't been soaked from her walk through the rain. The two of them were parked at a rest stop. They got there after about an hour of driving, and after they'd stopped, Hinata took an extremely hot bath to warm herself up. She felt better now that her legs had had time to rest, and she'd stopped shaking after warming up a little, but the fact that she had no dry clothes was an issue.

Hinata zipped up her suitcase, standing up and pushing it into the corner with her other one where they wouldn't be in the way. She was about to walk out of the room to ask Shikamaru a question when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She knew her body was in rough shape, especially after the events that occurred before Shikamaru found her on the road, but she hadn't had the time or interest to see just how much damage her body had taken. Her normally luxurious knee-length dark blue hair had been made uneven, and there were several missing chunks, while bruises littered her normally pale, smooth, and pearly skin. It explained why her body hurt so much before she got in the bath.

The marks were dark purple and warm and stingy with pain. Though, hiding amongst the darkness of these new injuries, there were many smaller patches of yellow discolored skin showing the healing of old ones. The biggest bruise on her body wrapped around her neck in the shape of a large hand. She winced in pain remembering the sensation of squeezing around her neck. There were scars on her neck that were still bleeding with fresh blood. The biggest and most noticeable injuries on her person were her lips which were almost as bruised, bloody, and beaten as her neck, and the large scar stretching from her right shoulder to her left breast.

Hinata sighed at her appearance. Gingerly, she raised a hand to her neck, whimpering at the flaring pain she felt as soon as she touched her skin. She chuckled humorlessly, a bitter smile on her face.

_'Guess now I'm not as pretty and perfect as you wanted me to be, huh father?'_

She snorted at the thought. She ran her fingers through her hair comfortingly, breathing deeply as she forced herself away from the mirror. She quickly walked over to the door to the bedroom, walking out into the main area of the RV to find her host. Shikamaru was laying down on the couch, his feet kicked up and both his jacket and shirt discarded as he munched on a bag of gummy bears. His head turned towards the bedroom as soon as he heard the door open, and when he saw Hinata his jaw and his gummy bears dropped.

"Jesus _fuck_."

The blue-haired girl crossed her arms, eyebrow raised as she stared him down."Are you talking about my bruises or my lack of clothes? Because I'll kick your ass for either, Nara."She said dryly.

Shikamaru raised his arms in surrender, pulling his feet off of the couch so he could stand up."No need for the hostility, princess, I'm talkin' about the bruises."He assured her, but he considered for a moment."Though, the lack of clothes isn't all that bad either."

Hinata rolled her eyes, hitting him in the shoulder playfully."Keep your eyes up here then, thank you very much."She pointed to her eyes firmly."All of my clothes got soaked in the rain, so I don't have any dry clothes to wear. This is all I could find that wasn't completely soaked."

"You can borrow some of my clothes after we patch you up."

Hinata smiled apologetically."Thank you, Shikamaru. I'm sorry to be such a burden."

The Nara waved her off dismissively, walking up to the front of the RV to retrieve something.

"Don't worry about it princess. I ain't got nowhere else to be."

He came back carrying a first aid kit. He sat down on the couch, gesturing for Hinata to do the same. Hesitantly, she sat down beside the dark-haired boy, forcibly stopping herself from crossing her legs. It would hurt too much, not to mention she had injuries to treat there too. She flinched when the first cleansing wipe touched her skin. Shikamaru stopped as soon as he saw the reaction, eyeing her hesitantly.

"You alright, princess?"He asked slowly.

Hinata took a deep breath, calming herself down.' _You're fine. It's just a little touch, and it's not him. It's not him, it's Shikamaru, your classmate. You're fine. You're fine. You're safe.'_ She told herself firmly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright."She voiced her thoughts calmly, sending the taller boy a small smile and a nod. She glanced at the bag of gummy bears sitting beside him, pointing at them hesitantly."Do you mind if I have some of those?"

Shikamaru scoffed."I wouldn't suggest eating those. Not unless you wanna be high off your ass."

Hinata perked up immediately, a wider, more mischievous smile spreading across her face."Weed gummies? Even better!"She chirped, smirking.

Shikamaru gaped at her for a good few seconds before bursting out into laughter. Hinata watched as he laughed himself breathless. His face lit up with mirth as he laughed, and it made Hinata smile even more. He had a cute laugh, and it made her feel warm. She'd never been this comfortable with any man outside of her cousin and two best friends.

"Who would have thought that the Hyuuga princess would like weed gummies!"He snickered breathlessly. He pushed the bag across the couch, sitting it in between them."Go nuts, princess! As long as it'll help me get you fixed up!"

Hinata eagerly began shoveling gummies into her mouth as Shikamaru tried again to disinfect her injuries. This time, she didn't flinch, and he continued without a hitch. He made sure to wipe down every visible bruise on her body, asking quickly before he would get close to any possible areas of discomfort. They sat mostly in silence as they did this. Shikamaru only spoke up to ask for permission to touch her in certain places, and she only spoke to reply, but other than that they stayed in a comfortable silence

The entire time, Shikamaru couldn't help but ask himself questions. How the _hell_ did she get so beaten up? She usually seemed so put together and dainty looking. She usually came off as the quiet nice girl who looked as if she could do absolutely no wrong. Now, she looked dirty, beaten, and just hair away from breaking down completely and destroying everything around her.

Maybe the gummies would do her some good.

While applying antibiotic ointment to Hinata's seemingly endless wounds that he gathered up the courage to ask the question that had been sitting in his chest since he spotted her on the side of the road.

"So...."He started cautiously, gently applying ointment to the nasty-looking bruise on her neck."What happened to you, princess?"

Hinata went completely still. Her hand stilled halfway into the quickly diminishing bag of gummies they'd been destroying, and her eyes fell to her lap. Shikamaru pursed his lips, scared that he'd asked the wrong question. When Hinata finally addressed him, her eyes downcast and her voice empty, he knew he might have asked the wrong question.

"My father happened."

Hinata smiled humorlessly, the expression holding an unusual bitterness that Shikamaru had never seen coming from her. He saw that look on girls like Temari and his mom. Not on Hinata. It looked....unnatural.

"You know...I'm not the golden child everybody thinks I am."She murmured, lifting her head slowly to catch his eyes. Her eyes were empty of everything he'd come used to seeing in them. Instead, they only held bitterness and sadness."That's just an act I put on to appease my father. In public, I'm the image of a perfect daughter...but in private I'm me."

"When I'm away from all the prying eyes and judgment, I do what I want to do. I dress how I want, I act how I want, I listen to what _I_ want."

Shikamaru watched her body language closely as she spoke. He was still applying the ointment to the bruise on her neck. He noticed every time she winced, no matter how well she hid it. Shock spread through him when he felt her hand, cold, soft, and small, come to rest on top of his hand which still rested on her neck. He stared at her questioningly, but she just smiled, sad and bitter.

"The only problem with being who I wanted in private is that it also meant I got beaten in private."

Hinata sighed heavily, hesitantly moving her hand away from Shikamaru's. Shikamaru's hand twitched, and he had to stop himself from reaching back for her hand. His skin missed the coldness of her own.

"Father found out about some raves I've been going to and he got angry."She muttered."We fought, he beat me senseless, and I ended up being kicked out with just enough time to pack some clothes and all the stuff that would fit in my backpack. He'd been drinking tonight, so his reaction was worse."

Shikamaru grimaced. That sounded fucking awful. He'd always had a feeling that she seemed _too_ nice. That her life seemed _too_ good. This turned out to be worse than anything he could have imagined.

"And your mom and sister didn't do anything? Or your cousin?"

Hinata shook her head."No."She murmured."My mama is sick. Her body is so weak that she can barely move on her own. I made Hanabi and Neji stay in mama's room until Father's temper died down. I didn't want them getting hurt for my sake _again_ this week."

Hinata sighed, shrugging as she ate more gummies. She really seemed to be going through those.

"I've been kicked out before, and every time I've been ready to leave permanently, but father always backtracks and sends someone to retrieve me. He'll start looking for me soon, but this time I'm not going back to that hellhole."

Shikamaru chuckled, a small smile spreading across his face. He could see determination and defiance clear on her face, and he had to admit. That looked way better on her than the normal friendly goody-two-shoes look. Rebellion looked attractive on her."Well, good for you, princess."He congratulated. He finished applying ointment to the last of her wounds, closing up the bottle and sticking it back in the first aid kit."Where do you plan on going to get away exactly?"

Hinata shrugged."Anywhere."She said simply, tossing yet another gummy into her mouth."He won't label me a runaway because I have proof of abuse, so I can do what I want. The only reason I haven't left permanently before now is because I've been afraid to be homeless, but I honestly don't care anymore."

Shikamaru grinned."Wow! You really are tricky, princess!"He exclaimed, reaching into her lap to grab his gummies before she could demolish the rest. He stood to his feet, pulling the surprised girl up with him."Come on. Let's get you some clothes."

He led her back into the bedroom, gesturing for her to sit on the bed while he dug around for something for her to wear. Hinata jumped onto the bed, sitting with her legs crossed as she rocked back in forth in a dreamy daze. Shikamaru shook her out of her daze when he threw a large black shirt at her, hitting her in the face.

"There. I don't have any pants that'll fit you. I hope that's good."

Shikamaru flopped down on the bed beside her. Hinata thanked him, quickly pulling the shirt over her head and finding that it indeed fit very loosely on her. The shirt went all the way to her mid-thigh, covering everything important. She would have to stop at a laundromat or something to get her clothes dried. Hinata ran a hand through her hair, huffing as she remembered the choppy mop her hair had been reduced to. The damage her 'father' had done to her hair pissed her off severely.

Hinata loved her hair. She'd been growing it out since 3rd grade, not cutting her hair since her first year in school. Everyone always told her she looked just like her mom, especially with her hair, and she _loved_ that. Her mother was one of the most beautiful people she'd ever seen, even with her sickness that made her pale and thin and ghostly, so she loved being told she looked like her. Her mother loved her long hair too. Since she often happened to be too sick to play with her as a child, most of the time she spent with her mother was her doing her hair while they talked about anything and everything. They included Hanabi when they could get her away from their father, and Neji too whenever he actually came home.

Her hair held nearly all the good memories she had with her family, (her 'father' didn't count) so she felt validly upset at the destruction of her favorite trait of her appearance.

"Princess."

The feeling of Shikamaru's hand on her hip drew her back out of her mind. He was staring up at her from where he laid, concern clear on his face. She quickly realized that she didn't jump when he touched her this time. If anything his touch helped ground her. His touch didn't feel foreign, or frightening, or hesitant like other people's. It felt warm and welcoming, like something she'd known her entire life. She liked it, and though she might be hesitant to say it, she wouldn't mind more.

"You doin' ok?"Shikamaru asked, gently, comfortingly, and shamelessly rubbing her hip."You fell into your mind a little bit there, princess."

Hinata's lips quirked up into a smile."I'm fine."She assured him. The feeling of his hand still on her hip, despite feeling very good, confused her heavily, but she made no move to remove it."I was just thinking."

Shikamaru hummed."Well, while you're still up, don't you think we should talk about where I'm gonna be taking you when we set off?"

Hinata's smile slipped, her lips contorting in a disappointed frown at the realization that she'd have to leave soon. She had to admit, being around Shikamaru was _fun_. She found his presence light and enjoyable, unlike the normal haughty feeling most of the other people at their school gave off. He laughed when she made dumb comments, he didn't act stiff around her even in her partial nudity, and he felt safe enough to call her by a dumb nickname that no one else would dare even attempt when they felt that her father could find out. Not to mention that conversation flowed so easily with him. She felt like she could be an actual person when she talked with him and not have to act like some plastic little doll-like back home. She'd only ever been like this around Shino and Kiba, and even then it took her years to become that comfortable with them.

With Shikamaru, the connection was instant. Natural.

"Well..."She said slowly."I don't really know many people outside of Konoha, so I don't really have anywhere to go, and if I'm being honest...I think....I'd rather stay with you."

Shikamaru blinked, hand stilling on her hip.

"Oh."

He hadn't been expecting that. If he were to tell the truth though, he didn't exactly disagree with her statement.

Before this entire situation, Shikamaru would have never even dreamed of spending this much 1 on 1 time with 'the Hyuuga Princess' due to his assumption that she was nothing but a stuck up brat, but after spending more time with her, he found that she was _really fun._ She made lots of dumb jokes and when she laughed it didn't sound plastic like it used to. She turned out to be adorably clumsy as well, a trait he realized when she stumbled trying to walk out of the bathroom and chuckled embarrassedly. Hinata seemed more real in his eyes now. Less like a porcelain doll that would break with a single tap of a pin, and more like a sturdy flower. Still delicate, and still beautiful, but resilient. It would always come back brand new.

He liked real Hinata. A lot.

Shikamaru realized that since his 'oh' comment, Hinata had been rambling endless apologies, back-stepping on her former statement. Not knowing how else to stop the girl's endless rambling, he slapped his hand over her mouth.

"Damn, princess, calm down!"He laughed, though his voice sounded more nervous than usual."I wasn't mad or anything, just surprised! I mean, sure we've known each other since we were like 5, but we don't really actually know each other. I didn't expect you to wanna stay with me is all."

He felt Hinata frown against his palm. She gently pushed his hand away from her face, instead holding it in hers."I know enough about you to know I like you."She said honestly, her face flushing red."Things are...natural around you. I'm not as nervous, and I don't think as hard. Things just kinda...flow, and I like that. It's refreshing."

Shikamaru gave her a lopsided grin."My my, what a compliment. I didn't know you liked me so much."He teased. Hinata turned even redder, and she smacked the older boy on the shoulder gently, not saying any more. He laughed, the sound breathless as he simultaneously released a relieved breath.

"Well, if I were to tell you the truth, I wouldn't exactly have a problem with taking you along for the ride."He admitted."You're very interesting, and I've realized that this place is lonely as hell when you don't have a companion, so...If you wanna come with, you can."Hinata beamed, perking up immediately. She was still blushing, but it might have been from happiness now. She squealed, pouncing on Shikamaru excitedly. The dark-haired boy yelped, and she laughed at his expense, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! _Mulțumesc_!"

Shikamaru laughed."Damn! You really have no boundaries, huh?!"He exclaimed jokingly, and Hinata giggled. She sat up, but she didn't move away from him. She simply adjusted herself so her legs were straddling his hips. Shikamaru blushed, embarrassed at the closeness of certain _areas_. He stammered, unable to get a word out for once. Hinata just grinned, leaning back down so their faces were just a hair away from each other and her hair fell like a veil over the two of them.

"This is gonna be fun!"


	3. {3: Something amazing}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheesy forest exploration, floriography, and overall cuteness and fluff :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A month later and I'm back!!!! I've been tryna update for a few weeks, but shit keeps happening. I got bombarded with packing the first time I tried to finish this chapter, then the 2nd time I had to start moving and my uncle died ON THE SAME DAY, then I had to go to my uncle's funeral the next week, and after that point, I just said I was gonna wait for today to update. So, here we are, a month later, with me updating a chapter after not sleeping for the longest even tho I told everyone I know I'd try to sleep.
> 
> BASICALLY, I'M SORRY BUT ENJOY!!!

8 days passed since Shikamaru picked Hinata up off the side of the road and they set off together. On their 2nd day together, they wandered through a little town where they stopped to fill up on supplies and get all of Hinata's clothes dried. Shikamaru had tried to get her to buy her own hygiene supplies and such when they stopped by the store, but she had stubbornly refused.

'I'll keep using yours! You smell nice, and it's cheaper.' She'd said.

That same day had been used for Hinata to call up her mother, sister, cousin, and only two friends, Kiba and Shino, to assure them all that she hadn't been killed or something. Shikamaru even had the honor of getting threatened by her mother in Romanian which Hinata had to translate. He had promptly replied with a joke in Spanish that Hiriko Hyuuga laughed at.

She liked him.

Their days of traveling after that were filled with situating their new situation. Hinata's mom had managed to help them enroll her into the fast track graduation classes Shikamaru had been doing online for the past month so the city didn't target her for truancy. They'd also settled into a small little routine of their own. Shikamaru handled driving duty since Hinata didn't know how to drive, so in return, she handled keeping them fed, keeping the RV cleaned up, and making sure they had enough supplies in the RV.

They found it surprisingly easy to cohabitate, even in the small RV where they had a limited amount of space, but Shikamaru quickly realized how affectionate Hinata could be without even realizing it. She always seemed to be touching him in some way, whether it be holding his hand while they traipsed through stores, playing with his hair while they drove and talked, or brushing her hand against his sides randomly. She even slept beside him in the bed a few times, which really had him blushing whenever he woke up with her curled up at his side.

Shikamaru couldn't say he didn't like it, the warm happy feeling he felt whenever she touched him, but it still surprised him a bit whenever it happened. Like right now, when she linked their fingers together shamelessly and dragged him down the road and away from the rest stop she suddenly forced him to park in at noon after only 3 hours of driving.

"Where the hell are we going, princess?!"

"On an adventure!"Hinata's eyes sparkled when she said that, her smile brighter than ever. She'd brightened up a bit in the past few days. Despite her still battered appearance and the obvious fear she still felt at things like loud noises, the only slight happiness that filled her made her look radiant, even while the warm wind whipped around her and sent her hair flying in her face.

Shikamaru scoffed, speeding up a little to catch up with the body dragging him down the rather empty road."I can see that, but why?"

"Because we've done nothing but drive, eat, and sleep for the past 8 days!"Hinata exclaimed, stopping and spinning around to face her companion. They were walking along the side of the road towards a large stretch of forest Hinata had seemed really excited about when they passed it. It's why they stopped in the first place.

Hinata moved closer to Shikamaru, taking both of his hands into her much smaller ones and moving so their faces were unnecessarily close to each other."We can afford to have a little fun, Shika."She said firmly."I have a feeling we're gonna find something amazing. Just...humor me, please?"

Shikamaru blushed uncharacteristically. He huffed, rolling his eyes, though he put no heat behind the gesture.

"Fine. Lead the way princess."

Hinata grinned, laughing triumphantly. She wordlessly pecked the boy on the cheek before setting off down the road again. Shikamaru blinked, completely unresponsive, and even redder in the face than before.

'That's a new one.' He thought dumbly.

The two of them walked, with playful energy, towards the long stretch of forest, pleasantly surprised when they saw a messy dirt path making way through the brush of the forest. Hinata marched into the forest eagerly, and Shikamaru followed her wordlessly. Shikamaru couldn't help but notice how at peace she seemed the moment they entered the forest, and how happy that made him in turn. The freeness in her movements and the sparkle in her eyes as she absorbed every bit of scenery before them made his lips quirk in a smile, and his heart flutter in a way that almost made him nervous.

He watched as Hinata spun around happily, letting out a breathless laugh. With her eyes closed, she pressed her hands against the moss-covered, peeling bark of a towering oak tree, humming softly. The tune of her voice seemed to follow that of the song the birds high up in the trees up above them sang. Hinata skipped over to Shikamaru, taking his hands into her own moss wet ones, and smiling at him."Come here."She instructed as she dragged him over to the oak tree she'd been standing in front of not even a minute ago.

"What for?"Shikamaru questioned, but Hinata had already pressed one of his hands against the squishy, moist feeling moss. He could feel the raised parts of the bark poking at his skin underneath it, but mostly he just felt the softness of the moss. Hinata sent him a soft, delighted smile, humming yet again.

"Do you feel it?"

"Feel what, princess?"

"The energy, Shika."

Hinata placed her hand over his gently, taking a pleased breath as she tilted her head heavenward, letting the wind flow gently over her face. Shikamaru would be lying if he said he didn't feel the energy she spoke of. Everything around them buzzed with pure energy that he didn't feel often enough while living so deep in the city. Everything out here seemed so alive and unapologetically bright that it made him feel light. As if nothing had ever bothered him or made him feel bad before. This plus Hinata's bright, beautiful, free-spirited energy that made him want to grab her hand and never let go.

He just felt light.

Hinata glanced at her companion, grinning when she saw that he'd mimicked her position of staring up at the canopy of trees. She had never been happier than right now, surrounded by the purity of nature while at the side of one of her new favorite people. She wasn't ashamed to admit how much she loved being around Shikamaru. It'd only been 8 days, but by now the mere idea of ever leaving his side made her sick to her stomach. She loved how happy he made her feel, too much to ever leave him. She never felt empty or forgotten around him, even when they weren't speaking. She didn't feel like an idiot, or a burden, or an annoying cunt because he never made her feel like anything but a gift, even though he didn't realize it. He did it without even speaking, without even trying.

'That's what makes him amazing.' Hinata thought.

Hinata hummed, taking the relaxed boy's hand and curling their fingers together and relishing in the warmth that spread through her body."Come on, let's keep going."She said excitedly."I have a feeling we haven't found our amazing yet."

Shikamaru grinned, nodding eagerly. His interest in their little adventure had peaked even in the small amount of time they'd spent in the forest. Hinata's excitement was infectious to him. The two of them walked further down the path, their hands still intertwined. Their eyes take in the beauty of everything around them, from the ancientness of the sun-bleached branches on an old oak tree to the beauty of watching a cardinal soar right over them through the canopy. Lichen grew everywhere throughout the forest, coating rocks, tree trunks, and even moss, and growing in such abundance upon branches that it made them droop toward the ground. It too is beautiful in its own right.

After a while, they happened upon a large oak, the largest they'd seen yet. Dozens of words ranging from simple names to whole poems have been carved into its bark roughly, forever marring the ancient old wood. The beauty of remembrance is what Hinata calls this, though the response is unprovoked. She gently runs her fingers across the aged bark, pressing a kiss to her hand that she then places gingerly on the trunk of the tree.

"Thank you."She whispered to it, her voice like a gust of wind.

Shikamaru tilted his head curiously."Why do that?"He asked."What's the point?"

"It's...kinda like showing respect to an elder, I guess."Hinata said softly."This tree is a living, beautiful, ancient thing. It's seen everything there is to see in this forest, and will probably continue to do so for many more years. It even holds the memories of humans who have happened across it."She dragged her hand across the messy letters carved deep into the wood and turned to smile at Shikamaru, the expression wistful and soft.

"It deserves a little love and respect too, don't you think?"

Shikamaru considers, and he agrees, but he finds himself unable to voice his thoughts. In the end, he simply nods and reaches out to take Hinata's hand back into his own. He smirks, nodding towards the deeper end of the forest.

"Let's go further."

Hinata obliges easily.

The deeper they go, the more wonderful things they see. The air is thick and humid and warm, and by now they're so far from the road that all they can hear is leaves rustling as they're moved and kicked up by the warm wind. Hinata knows that they are lost as they move farther down the path and she can't recall where the road is at all, and she has a feeling Shikamaru knows as well, but neither of them brings it up.

They'll deal with that when it comes to it.

Their phones are so full of pictures now. Of trees, of leaves, of each other. Shikamaru has an adorable snapshot of Hinata, mid-laugh, and mid-spin. She looks so full of joy that it brings a blush to his face. After a while, they find a river, and the way Shikamaru's face lights up with joy is so foreign but so welcome. He wastes no time in jumping straight into the river, mischievously pulling Hinata along for the ride. Their raucous, mirthful laughter fills the, what used to be, quiet forest as they splash each other childishly.

"Ah! You almost threw a rock at me, you ass!"

"You dumped leaves on me earlier, so now we're even, princess!"

They don't know how much time they spend messing around at this river, but they stop once their clothes are splattered with water, and their shoes are soaked and soggy from the sediment at the bottom of the river."Let's go against the current," Shikamaru suggested, pointing towards the direction from which the fish, rocks, and sediment had been coming from.

"Okay," Hinata agreed."But why?"

Shikamaru smirked."Because if my knowledge of rivers like this is right, I have a feeling our 'something amazing' is this way."

Hinata smiled smugly, proud of herself for getting him so invested in this forest adventure. He'd started out absolutely appalled and opposed to the idea, but now, he had more excitement in his eyes than she did. So, she grinned at him, slipping off her flannel in an attempt to cool herself off. She threw it at the brown-eyed boy's face, running off in the direction that Shikamaru had been directing her in.

"I'll race you!"

Shikamaru huffed, peeling her flannel off of his face as he ran after her.

"Oh, you little-!"

They ran down the path beside the river, laughing freely. The sun, which had earlier been hanging directly overhead and shining down on them blisteringly, had slowly started to make it's descent westward. Shikamaru estimated it was around 3 or 4 now. Hinata's eyes flickered over to the river as she ran, her track skills coming into play for a non-illegal purpose for once. The current had become softer the farther they ran, and the river had grown in width. That, added with the fact that the slope of the ground slowly started raising the further they went, gave Hinata a sneaking suspicion of what Shikamaru thought would be down this path.

She proved her suspicion when she almost fell into the river.

Or rather, the big pool of water the river was flowing into.

She yelped when she stepped forward, expecting to meet more dirt and rock, but instead meeting water. She'd been staring behind her at Shikamaru like an idiot instead of looking ahead. Lucky her, Shika had wonderful reflexes. Just as she was about to tumble into the water, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the safety of his chest. Shikamaru took a step back from the water deposit, wrapping his arms around Hinata. Hinata breathed heavily, her heart beating so heavily they could both feel it through her chest.

"T-thank you."She stuttered.

"Don't mention it."The black-haired boy muttered."Didn't think I should let you fall into the water when we don't know how deep it is."

Hinata nodded, hesitantly pulling away from his chest as she mumbled yet another thank you. Shikamaru smirked.

"You can thank me by looking behind you, princess."

Hinata's brow furrowed. Slowly, she turned around, only for her jaw to drop in awe.

This place looked like her own version of heaven. The normally unwavering canopy of trees had curled upward to let the sun into the small area. The loud, crashing sound of a waterfall depositing water into the small lake below filled their ears alongside the captivating sound of birds chirping. The water was an appealing shade of blue-green, yet still so reflective that they could see the movements of everything beneath it. The sun hit the water beautifully. Aside from that, there were tons of different plants growing alongside the grass and trees surrounding the serene place. Most notably, Hinata saw the familiar, charming purple of red campions growing in scattered groups around the body of water along with many other flowers. The sight of those flowers made her blush when she thought back to the original meaning of them and how much they applied to her current situation.

They were embarrassingly accurate.

This place brought a light to her eyes. The purity and freeness and the beauty of everything around them. It reminded her of a-

"A sanctuary."Hinata breathed."It's like a sanctuary."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement, too awed to speak. They fell into a shared awed silence, both of them too filled with different feelings to even formulate a singular word, let alone make conversation. The violent crashing sound of the waterfall quickly became background noise in their minds. Hinata was staring at a patch of red campions nearby, an embarrassed look on her face, while Shikamaru stared intently at the flowing water.

"You've been staring at those flowers for a while, princess. Something interesting over there?"Shikamaru said after a while, his tone teasing as he addressed the still shocked girl. Hinata huffed, blood rushing to her face. She twisted around to look at him, scrunching her nose at him childishly.

"I could say the same to you with you staring at that water."She snapped heatlessly."Is there something interesting down there that's got you thinking, Nara?"

"I wanna swim."

Hinata blinked, watching him as he tapped his hand along his thigh. She shrugged."I can't really swim that well, but you can go ahead."She told him, gesturing toward the water."I'd rather check out these flowers and get some pictures before we have to leave. Mama will like them."

That's how they ended up in their current position, Hinata sitting in a patch of flowers right next to the water as she took dozens of pictures, and Shikamaru floating lazily in the water with his clothes discarded in a pile near a tree. Hinata fell onto her back with a content sigh, running her fingers across the flowers softly as she stared at the sky. The sun kissed her skin gently, covering her in pleasant but not unbearable warmth, and lighting up her skin with a soft, shiny glow. She hummed lightheartedly, raising her legs towards the sun. She'd abandoned her damp shoes beside her and Shikamaru's possessions, leaving her completely barefoot. She didn't mind though. She loved the soft, crumbly feeling of dirt under her toes, and the dry crunch of leaves under her heel whenever she put her feet down on top of them.

Hinata waved her legs around in the air a little, sticking her tongue out of her mouth just slightly as she watched herself lazily. She looked rather childish this way, her tongue hanging out of her mouth and her legs flapping like a child's. Her head twisted to look at the water beside her when she heard the subtle sound of splashing water getting closer and closer. Shikamaru had swum over to her, and now had his elbows planted in the grass beside Hinata as he watched her with his head sitting in between his palms. The dark-haired boy's skin glistened with water, catching the sunlight almost dramatically as it dripped down his body. He hadn't taken his hair tie out before diving underwater, so his ponytail had become loose and messy after his hair got wet.

Hinata fought the blush creeping quickly up to her neck. He looked so pretty. She always found him attractive, but something about the excited way he smiled, and the overall air of calm surrounding him made her even more attracted to him somehow.

"-eally come join me in the water. It's nice."

Hinata was shaken out of her reverie by the sound of Shikamaru's low but hopeful tone. She only caught the last part of his sentence, but she assumed he still wanted her to swim with him. She sighed, flipping over onto her side to face him, and leaning on her elbow so they were face to face.

"I don't swim, Shikamaru. I'm telling you, it's a bad idea to let me touch that water."She insisted."I'll die!"

"Only if I let you, which won't happen!"Shikamaru argued."Come on, please? I promise it's fun! And I'll help keep you afloat!"

Hinata shook her head vehemently."Nope, I refuse."She said finally, laying back down with a stubborn look set on her face."The last time someone told me they'd keep me afloat, my cousin let me sink to the bottom of his boyfriend's pool and stay there for almost a solid 15 seconds! I will not be repeating my mistakes, you won't get me in that water!"

Shikamaru sighed dramatically, tossing his head back."Alright," He said slowly. He pulled himself out of the water and onto the grass next to Hinata. He pushed himself to his feet, wiping the dirt from his legs as he smiled down at the Hyuuga girl mischievously."I guess that means I'm gonna have to use drastic measures."

Hinata's brow furrowed skeptically, staring at Shikamaru questioningly."What the hell do you mean by drastic measures."She demanded, but his grin just widened. Horror spread across her face when a light bulb lit up in her mind. She clumsily started to scramble away from her companion, her arms and legs flailing."Shikamaru, you better not do what I think you're about to do!"

"Too late, princess."

Hinata yelped as Shikamaru suddenly lifted her into his arms, holding her against his chest tightly. She squealed, kicking at him and squirming in his arms. His hold didn't loosen though, he just kept holding onto her tightly, occasionally moving his head to avoid being punched in the head.

Shikamaru laughed, "I've been getting kicked by deer for like 12 years, princess, this doesn't hurt at all."He spoke calmly, casually shifting her so she wasn't sitting so awkwardly in his grip. He walked backward a good bit, putting a lot of space between them and the water as he prepared to set into a run.

Hinata didn't expect him to be so strong, but he proved her wrong quickly. She forgot how often the rest of their class used to refer to him as the deer boy, and obviously, you needed a lot of skill and strength to handle deer. She felt kinda stupid now.

"Shikamaru don't you dare! I will drown!"

"Hold your breath."

Hinata screeched, burying her face in Shikamaru's shoulder and sucking in her breath as he started running at the water full speed. The first thing she felt after he jumped was the smooth chill of the water taking over her body. She and Shikamaru were submerged in it completely as they sunk down under the water. She instinctively tightened her grip on Shikamaru, wrapping her legs around his waist tightly as she fought the urge to scream. They were submerged for only a few moments, but it felt like that moment when you're in a really dull or easy class that you don't want to be attending. It seemed to last forever, or at least much longer than it typically would. Still, she had to admit the frigid water felt just a tad bit nicer than the sharp, crumbly feeling of dirt on her skin.

When the two of them finally re-emerged, Hinata inhaled a huge breath of air, coughing up all of the water that had someway made its way down her lungs. She was still clinging to Shikamaru like a lifeline, breathing heavily as her heart practically beat out of her chest, but the older boy's delighted, horn-like laughs were ringing out through the clearing. Shikamaru looked at her, smiling mischievously. His eyes sparkled with exhilaration and his face glowed with excitement. If her heart sped up a few beats just by looking at the positively delighted expression on his face...well, that was nobody's business but hers.

"Tell me you didn't love that?"He challenged.

Hinata blinked. She tried to contain the delighted giggle bubbling in her throat because she did love it, but she inevitably lost the battle, her bell-like laugh filling Shikamaru's ears as a smug grin crossed the boy's face.

"I knew you'd like it, princess!"

Hinata laughed even harder, a breathy sound escaping her lips as well."God, you're lucky I like you so damn much you pretty bastard!"She yelled, hitting him playfully and wrapping herself tighter around him for her own safety. Her words didn't really register in her mind until she saw the mischievous grin on Shikamaru's face.

"Aww, you think I'm pretty?"He said teasingly."How kind of you princess!"

Hinata turned red with embarrassment, but instead of just shutting up like she normally would, she decided to dig a deeper hole for herself."Of course, I do, have you seen yourself?"She muttered, staring at the shimmering water between their bodies."You're like, pretty and hot at the same time. That's a different level of attractive."

Shikamaru blinked owlishly, and he could feel a blush rivaling Hinata's crawling up his neck. He, of course, knew he was conventionally attractive, but it'd never been pointed out so bluntly before. Hell, the only people he'd heard it from were Ino, Choji, and every woman over the age of 25 in his family, and even then only Ino had ever been so blunt about it. The difference between being called attractive by Ino and being called attractive by Hinata though was that Hinata made his stomach twist into knots when she smiled at him, and she always seemed to be able to make him blush in the dumbest ways. He could never, and would never, feel this way about Ino no matter how close they were.

"Oh. Uh, thanks."Shikamaru said blankly.

Hinata groaned, burying her face in Shikamaru's shoulder as she subconsciously tried to sink into the water. Great. She'd just destroyed one of the few functioning relationships in her life because she couldn't contain her attraction to her fucking roommate of course she wasn't lying when she said what she said, but she should know better than to just tell people things like that out of nowhere. He was going to hate her and kick her out, leaving her to rot in the middle of nowhere because she made him uncomfortable. God, she was so fucking stupid-

"I think...you're attractive too."

A strangled noise left Hinata's mouth as those words slipped from her companion's mouth in an almost shy tone. She dared to look up at him and saw the steadily growing blush peeking up his face all the way from his neck. He looked right back at her, his expression hesitant and embarrassed despite the smile he's sending her. There was a soft look in his chestnut eyes, and damn it if she didn't point it out it would kill her, but that look on his face made him look so damn kissable.

Hinata stammered out a messy thank you, unable to do much else besides that and smile softly. This situation was so much less than ideal. They were so close, so awkward, so wet. She'd never felt so genuinely shy. She usually used shyness as a ploy to keep fake people away, the behavior never really being genuine, but right now she could actually feel her heart racing from behind her ribcage. She could hear her blood rushing and the sound of her own unusually ragged breathing. Without her knowledge or permission, her hands slip into Shikamaru's hair, releasing his hair from the messy ponytail so she can run her fingers through the ratty black strands of hair. It's so silent she can hear the sharp breath Shikamaru takes as he tenses up. Just as fast as he tensed up though, his body relaxes, and he brings a shaky hand to rest gently on Hinata's unsurprisingly soft cheek. Hinata's body flares at the touch, and her rare impatience flares with it.

She doesn't know when their faces got so close, but when she moves forward, it takes only a split second for their lips to connect.

The reaction is instant.

Shikamaru's lips move against hers gently and experimentally almost immediately. There is no space between them anymore, and Hinata's happy she can stand in the bit of water they're in because she's sure they would have drowned if they did this any further into the water.

It would have been worth it though.

Shikamaru's lips are cold and warm at the same time. Cold in their physical temperature, and warm in the way she feels kissing him. The kiss is soft and intimate and unbelievably warm. He tastes like black coffee and he smells like smoke, two of his favorite things. She can still taste a slight tang of salt on his lips from how much he'd been sweating earlier too. Hinata buries her hands further into Shikamaru's hair, deepening the kiss as her eyes flutter closed. She can Shikamaru's free hand resting on her hip underwater, fingers drifting over stretch marks and some nasty old scars, but that's as far as it goes. There are no testy touches or insistent movements since he never moves his hands anywhere he knows she won't like, and all she can think about this fact is ‘god he's such a sweetheart -’

She can feel her lungs crying for a break after a little while, and she doesn't know exactly how long they've stayed like this, but she knows that she wants to curse out her lungs for their incessant need for air. They separate just enough for a fresh intake of breath, and Hinata breathes in heavily. She finally opens her eyes and looks at Shikamaru only to lose her breath all over again.

He's smiling at her. Not his normal little half-smile, or that mischievous look that passes for 70 different smiles every time, but a genuine full-blown grin. His eyes are sparkling brightly, his son seems to be glowing, and he looks like he's holding in a chuckle. He looks giddy, and Hinata is sure that if she were to look at herself she would hold a similar look, but that doesn't change the fact that that smile looks so attractive on him.

"So.... that 'something amazing' you were talking about earlier," Shikamaru murmured, arms circling around her waist."Do you think your brain was referring to this place....or this?"He gestured vaguely to the two of them.

Hinata let out a breathless laugh, shooting him her own beaming smile. Her hand slips out of Shikamaru's hair, coming to rest on his cheek. Gently, she pushes their lips together in another, much simpler kiss. She can't stop the nonstop flutter of her own heart, and she doesn't really want to. She feels like she's living for once, finally experiencing something without having to manufacture it and manipulate it. It just is. 

The fact that that feeling is brought to her by the warmth of Shikamaru's lips against hers and his hands on her body just makes it 100 times better.

Hinata's pale eyes flicker up to meet Shikamaru's wood brown ones, and she hums against his lips, smiling softly as she reaches over to the surprisingly close dryland, and gently plucks one of the soft purple flowers from the dirt. Carefully, she slides the delicate plant behind Shikamaru's ear, and she smiles.

He doesn't know the flower's meaning, but he doesn't have to.

She knows enough for both of them.

"I think 'both' would be a very concrete answer....don't you?"

Shikamaru can't help but laugh. Instead of gracing her response with a spoken answer of his own, he simply closes his eyes and leans in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LISTEN, I SAID CHEESY FOREST EXPLORATION IN THE FUCKING SUMMARY. I LOVE BEING CHEESY BC IT'S THE CUTEST FORM OF ART I CAN MAKE WITHOUT SEEMING LIKE A CRACKHEAD. LOOK AT ME AND TELL ME THYE AREN'T ABSOLUTE SWEETHEARTS THO?!?!?!
> 
> Anywhomst, there's the 3rd chapter!!! I will be introducing our other bois in the next chapter....when I figure out how to start that chapter :) :) :)
> 
> For anyone who's wondering, Red Campions, also called Red Catchflys, symbolize gentleness, and something that roughly means 'Youthful love, I fall victim'. It was just an interesting little bit of symbolism that I HAD to add because I'm a sentimental softy :)
> 
> This entire chapter is also inspired by a Fairytail fic I love a whole lot by this user https://archiveofourown.org/users/splendidlyimperfect/pseuds/splendidlyimperfect called Sometimes we take changes, sometimes we take pills. I love everything they write, it's all wonderful, but that specific fic is so dear to my heart!!! I reread it like all the time!!!
> 
> Have a good day worms!! Kudos and comments are much appreciated!!!


	4. {4: Temari does nothing but Care}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gaara is suffering, Naruto and Sasuke worry, and Temari does nothing but care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI AGAIN, I'M NOT DEAD JUST AN UNCREATIVE IDIOT. I'M SO SORRY Y'ALL, I'M SO INCONSISTENT D,DJKDHDDJGJDSK. ANYWAY, ENJOY THE INTRODUCTION TO OUR LAST THREE BOYS!!!! THIS CHAPTER ISN'T MUCH, BUT LIKE, IT HAS TEMARI SO I'M REALLY HAPPY WITH IT- (I'm also still messing around with ao3 formatting, sorry again for inconsistencies-)

"Just go inside and get what we need. I'll be fine out here."

The eerie glow of the flickering truck stop lights fell over three boy's faces. This stop was the only building for miles, long stretches of trees promising to lead them into nothingness for hours down both ends of the road. The shortest of the three was sitting down on the curb, two cats curled up on either side of himself almost protectively. He mindlessly ran his fingers through the sand-colored fur of the smaller cat, glancing over at his two companions. His eyes immediately locked onto worry-filled pools of blue, and the blonde those eyes were attached to knelt down in front of him, gently taking his face in between his warm hands. The boy's sunkissed fingers clumsily avoided the messy purple splotches marring his tan skin.

"You sure you don't want me to stay out here with you, Gaara?"He asked skeptically, eyes sweeping over his wounds. Their other companion was squatting beside him, hands twisted in his neat dark locks whilst he side-eyed Gaara with a worried glint in his eyes."We can just send Sasuke in...I don't like the idea of leaving you out here by yourself."

"I'm positive."Gaara laid his hand on top of his blonde companion's, sending him a weak but reassuring smile."I've got our two fuzzy bodyguards out here with me, what could go wrong?"He gestured to the two cats who had taken to doing something akin to glaring at each other from his sides.

"Plus, it'll go faster if you're both shopping."He added. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against the blonde's nose lightly before offering up another, more confident smile."We've been walking down this scary-ass road for hours and we need food and supplies, not to mention an auto repair shop. I'll be fine, I promise. Just go, Naruto."

Naruto huffed."Fine."He agreed begrudgingly. He leaned forward and pushed their lips together gently, pulling back after only a few seconds."We'll be back in a bit. Be careful out here."

"I will."

Naruto nodded. He turned his attention down to the big orange cat sitting next to Gaara, staring into the cat's dark-rimmed red eyes as he ran his fingers through the thick orange fur coating its body.

"Keep him safe Kurama."He said firmly, glancing at the uncaring sandy colored cat scrutinizingly."You too Shukaku."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, an almost fond note to the irritated movement."Come on idiot. The faster we get in, the faster we can get out here to him again. Let's go."

Naruto gnawed on his lip anxiously, nodding as he reached up and allowed Sasuke to pull him to his feet."Alright. Let's go."

The two of them walked toward the door, Sasuke gently running his fingers through Gaara's hair and leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead with a soft murmur for him to stay safe before they walked away from him and inside of the store, leaving the redhead alone. Gaara's eyes flickered across the scarily lit lot, eyes straining to make sure nothing and no one dangerous would appear out of random. He was tired and in pain, too much so to fight off anyone or anything that would possibly take advantage of him out here.

_'God I hate being a burden.'_

He'd been traveling with them for almost 3 days now. He remembered the foggy feeling in his brain and the stinging feeling spreading through his body as he messily dialed Naruto's number, and the sobs ripping from his own throat as he cried for the blonde to help him when he picked up the phone. They got there so fast and were so fucking nice and patient, loading his half-conscious body and his stubborn cat into their car at 1 in the morning, and then spending their own money on a motel room for the night so he could rest and recuperate. 

Gaara subconsciously reached out to touch the dull, discolored skin on his face, flinching when he felt the same stinging flare that had jumped across his skin when the afflicting attack brought the bruises to creation. They were strange to look at, the nasty bruises that transformed his normally clear skin into ugly seas of yellowed purple. He was so used to them being in hard to see and easy to hide places like his back and legs, and they were never this severe. It’s not like his father would ever let him have the satisfaction of anyone else seeing the effects of his ‘aggressive nature’. He craved control too much to let something like that slip from the tightly guarded den of secrets he kept within their house.

God, Gaara hoped he didn’t hurt Kankuro. His brother’s loud mouth and defiant nature were endearing at the best of times, but if he were to act out like that around their father after witnessing what he’d done to Gaara, it wouldn’t go well. Their father, despite doing everything he could to pretend they didn’t exist, excluding killing them himself and including sleeping in a far better far cozier apartment while he left him in the shithole of a home his family had owned, commanded respect from them. If Kankuro went off on him like Gaara knew he wanted to, he might end up in a worse condition than himself which Gaara intensely wanted to avoid.

He didn’t even know if Temari knew about what happened yet. Due to her habit of worrying and her near extreme paranoia when it came to things like money, she tended to take multiple shifts at her job, something he and Kankuro hated for many reasons. They barely ever saw her because of that place. He knew the day the incident happened was supposed to be the day she came home from visiting her girlfriend for 3 days, but he also knew she had a double shift scheduled as soon as she got home. He could only hope she knew what happened, and if she did, that just led him to wonder why he hadn’t yet received any anxious texts or fretful phone calls.

As always, the universe seemed to be peering in on his distracted inner monologue. Gaara’s head snapped up and his body went stiff as the loud sound of a high pitched and annoying ringtone flowing into his ears. He felt the familiar vibration of his phone in his pocket, and he blinked as he realized his phone had been the offending sound. He pulled his phone from the pocket of his hoodie, and a blissful feeling of happiness filled his chest at the sight of his caller. He wasted no time in tapping the green button, raising the phone to his ear as he breathed out a relieved,

“Temari?”

“Gaara! Oh, thank god you’re ok, baby! I was so worried!”

Gaara could hear her near tears on the other side, but he could just barely hear it over the slow, sensual music playing loud in the background. She was at work. It made sense since she’d called from her work phone, but it still brought a frown to his face.

He chuckled weakly.”Hey, Tem. It’s good to hear from you.”He murmured.”Is Kankuro alright?”

_“I’m not worried about that idiot, I’m worried about_ **_you_ ** _!”_ Temari exclaimed. _”Kankuro just called from one of his friend’s phones and told me what happened! I’m so sorry I didn’t call sooner baby!”_

“You don’t have to apologize, Tem.”Gaara lamented.”You were busy. I get it.”

_“Not so busy that I couldn’t think to call and check up you,”_ Temari mumbled. He heard the guilty tone to her voice, and could already imagine her twirling her little fan, a gift from their mother, between her fingers nervously. He noticed how she always played with it like that when she felt nervous. _”Are you ok, at least? Did that asshole hurt you?”_

Gaara hummed.”I-uh...I’ve got some pretty bad bruises?”He admitted, running his fingers through Shukaku’s fur absentmindedly.”And some cuts on my hands….he threw mom’s favorite vase at me before he kicked me out…”

Temari made a strangled noise, and Gaara couldn’t tell it was out of worry, shock, or pure _anger_. Anger felt like the appropriate answer when she started yelling.

_“THAT PINCHE PENDEJO! ¡¿CÓMO SE ATREVÍA?!”_

He winced at the barrage of swears his sister let out in Spanish. He pulled the phone away from his ear, but could still hear her muffled screams even as he put his phone in his lap. He almost found it amusing when both Shukaku and Kurama looked up at him with absolutely livid expressions, practically begging for him to move the phone again. Two minutes passed before Temari felt satisfied with all of her insults.

_“I’m sorry, Gaara, I just needed to get that out.”_ Temari took a few deep breaths, and Gaara could hear her counting underneath her breath. _”Ok. Kankuro told me Naruto and Sasuke came to pick you. Where are you guys right now? Are you safe?”_

Though he didn’t like that he had to raise her already spiking worry levels by telling her their situation, he still did it. It wouldn’t help her or them for him to lie. Temari cursed under her breath as he recalled the story of the car’s sudden breakdown. _”Damn it. Uh, ok...are you guys good on cash? I can send some money to help get it fixed?”_

“No!”Gaara declined immediately.”You and Kankuro still have bills to pay and food to buy, and you already don’t make enough. I’m not letting you spend what little money you have on that old piece of shit car to get fixed when it’ll probably just break down again in two days.”

_“Gaara—“_

“We’ve got it.”Gaara snapped, his voice firm. He hated snapping at her, especially when he knew how shitty she felt when he did it, but just like Kankuro (and himself on some level), Temari was stubborn. She wouldn’t listen unless given a little nudge of tough love.”You still have to be able to take care of yourself. I’ll be fine.”

Temari sighed. He could hear the music change in the back, and the almost far away sound of one of Temari’s bosses demanding she get back to work. The noise on the other side soon became muffled. Temari had placed her hands over the mics so she wouldn’t hear whatever they were talking about. Gaara glanced behind himself at the gas station. He could just barely see Naruto and Sasuke standing at the counter through the foggy dirt-stained glass. Sasuke had Naruto tucked to his side protectively, his arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist. Sasuke glanced back suddenly, catching Gaara’s eyes through the window. He eyed him questioningly, mouthing out a quick _‘you ok?’_. Gaara nodded, sending up a small thumbs up. Sasuke nodded hesitantly, turning his attention back to Naruto and the cashier.

_“Gaara? You still there, baby brother?”_

“Hmm? Oh, oh yeah. I’m...I’m still here.”

Temari hummed.”Good. Ok, I’ve gotta get back to work, but I’m not about to leave you three out there.”She said firmly. He could hear the click of her fan as she flicked it outwards, bringing it to full length to fan herself with it.”I want you to stay put for a while. Fuck that car, don’t even bother going back to it. And drop me your pin.”

Gaara squawked.”You want us to stay here?”He asked incredulously. This place gave off bad vibes already, and while he loved and trusted his sister, he didn’t think staying in the creepy gas station parking lot miles away from any cities or homes would help his paranoia much.

“Yes. Do not leave under any circumstances. He needs to be able to find you.”

“He? He who, Temari, what are you talking about?”

Temari scoffed, and Gaara saw that trademark smirk pulling at her lips in his mind's eye like she was sitting right in front of him. They didn’t share much resemblance appearance-wise, they being himself, Temari, and Kankuro, but according to anybody they’d ever met, they shared the same intimidating demeanor and terrifying smirk. It made sense. Being terrifying had been the only way to be safe when they were younger. If they were even a little too sweet-looking, or a little too kind, they’d get screwed over, and they quickly learned how much that sucked. Temari in specific took that lesson to heart as the age-proclaimed caretaker of their house. She had to replace their mother and their father in one fell swoop at such a young age, and to her, she had no room to be lenient. Not if she wanted to protect and provide for her boys.

Temari hummed amusedly, “You didn’t think I would leave my little brother out there alone, did you? Of course not, baby.”

“I’m sending someone to get you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't too much plot-wise (which I have no plan for I'm just making this up as I go), but as I said in my first note, that is because I split the chapter!! God, I hate how fucking ERRATIC my writing is FUCCKKK!!! Anyways, I'm still working on the last little bit for this tiny piece of the fic, but it should only take a few days if school doesn't mess me up. I already stayed up till 2 writing this one, but I SWEAR I'M TRYING Y'ALL.
> 
> I'm honestly just counting down the days until I reach the plot point in which I've decided to introduce my boys Orochi and Jiraiya.
> 
> Anywhomst, I'll take a random request for this from the first person who can guess what Temari's job is ;)
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed friends!!!! Kudos and comments are much appreciated, I love seeing your opinions!!!!


	5. {5: Shikamaru is Tired, and Temari is his babe}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru is the man to call when your baby brother and his boyfs are stranded at a gas station!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO DAYS IN A ROW BABEEEEEEY, I POSTED AGAIN. I'M SACRIFICING SLEEP FOR Y'ALL. This chapter is a bit short, and I utilized google translate a lot for some of the Spanish included because Temari is just the type to speak a lot of Spanish, BUT I DON'T SPEAK SPANISH SO!!!! IF YOU ARE A SPANISH SPEAKER, I REQUEST YOU ASSISTANCE P L E A S E. ANYWHOMST, ENJOY.

“I’m sorry, you want me to _what_ ? Speak English, _estupida_ , it’s too early for me to comprehend full sentences in Spanish.”

Waking up to frantic calls from your insane best friend who could only manage to piece together sentences in fast Spanish was a constant when said best friend was Temari Sabaku, and Shikamaru had gotten pretty used to it through nearly 6 years of friendship. She always had some crazy story or elaborate plan to let him in on, and the chances of it being related to work or her dad were about 50-50 at this point. She did this so much that Shikamaru had become an expert at guessing. Still though, every few weeks there were times where Temari would pop up with some crazy situation at an ungodly hour that managed to fill even Shikamaru with shock and confusion all the way to the core.

Situations like this one.

_“I need you to take that big ass hunk of junk and go pick up Gaara and his partners! They’re stuck at some old dump off I-79, that long-ass stretch of road between Suna and Konoha.”_

Shikamaru yawned, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he glanced down at Hinata wearily. He had learned early on in their cohabitating that the Hyuuga did not react well to being woken up. He ended up with a scratch on his face that day, and Hinata hadn’t even actually woken up to do it. She just acted off of instinct, which made it a thousand times scarier. Thankfully for him, lovely pale eyes had yet to open, and Hinata still lay curled up at his side wrapped in one of his considerably larger hoodies as she slept soundly.

”Gimme a sec. I’m not trying to wake up the princess a second time.”

He heard Temari snicker on the other side of the line as he slowly crawled out of bed, careful not to rouse Hinata. He promptly ignored the taunt of ‘whipped’ his blonde friend let out as he slipped out of the bedroom, feet padding against the cold wooden floor. Shikamaru sighed. He ran a hand down his face and through his hair, trying to gently wake himself up.“Ok, not that I’m complaining about helping out red, but what exactly is he doing all the way out there that I have to go pick his ass up?”He murmured, much quieter than he’d usually be with the aggressive wench he called his best friend. He was currently much more terrified of Hinata than Temari simply due to the closer proximity of the latter.

Temari growled. _”Rasa kicked him out.”_ She said shortly. _”Something he had absolutely no fucking right to do since THE_ _**PENDEJO** IS NEVER FUCKING THERE-!” _

“Temari! Calm down!”Shikamaru hissed.”I’m gonna need you to elaborate a little bit, babe, what the fuck happened?”

Temari took a deep breath, grinding her teeth frustratedly, _”Apparently Rasa did one of his random pop-ups to the house a few days ago. He started digging through_ _all of our shit and found a lot he apparently didn’t like. He found Kankuro’s money and his stash from all of that dumb illegal shit he stays out doing, all of my things for work, and Gaara’s pictures of his partners from when they visited a few months back.”_

_“Apparently from all of those, he hated Gaara’s pictures the most. Dumb, right?”_ Temari scoffed bitterly, and Shikamaru couldn’t hold in his own scoff of disbelief because _hell yes that was dumb_ . Rasa found what Shikamaru assumed to be an insane amount of drugs belonging to Kankuro for whatever illegal escapades he liked to get into, and whatever weird shit Temari invested in for her job, and got pissed about Gaara having pictures of his partners? He had the audacity to get mad at any of them for what they did with their lives when he wanted _nothing to do with said lives?_

Words could not describe how much he hated Rasa Sabaku.

_“He beat the shit out of Gaara and kicked him out.”_ Temari finished, sighing heavily. _”Naruto and Sasuke, the partners, came and picked him up a few days ago, but their car broke down on I-79 a few hours ago, and they had to walk all the way to some busted gas station. Hence why I need you to pick them up, babe. Please?”_

Shikamaru groaned, falling limp against the bathroom door and burying his face in his hands while his phone balanced on his shoulder. Of course, he wasn’t going to say no. He’d known Gaara as long as he’d known Temari, and as much as he hated to admit it, he enjoyed the monotone fucker’s company as much as he enjoyed his sister’s. When you got him to calm down and stop being so in his head all the time, Gaara’s monotonous personality nudged a little to the left and made room for some playful sarcasm and, frankly, adorable rants about things like his favorite books. He wouldn’t just leave him and his partners on the side of the road like strangers, but he also wouldn’t act happy about having to operate this big ass RV off of _2 hours of sleep_.

“Send the address, Tem. Before I crash and fall back asleep.”He said finally, sighing sullenly as he glanced at the front of the RV with a pout. He grabbed his ‘driving hoodie’ off one of the hooks on the back of the bedroom door, pulling it over his naked torso as he made his way to the driver’s seat.

_“Yes! Gracias, Shika, ¡Te quiero muchísimo! ¡Eres mi vida!”_

Shikamaru chuckled fondly. _”Yo también te amo loca. Eres mi alma.”_ He replied promptly. He wasn’t at all surprised when he received a message from Temari not even 5 seconds later. She’d already been prepared to send him Gaara’s pin. She knew he would say yes, and he couldn’t say that surprised him. They knew each other well enough for her to know he wouldn’t leave Gaara to rot at some dingy highway spot.

“You’re my life,” Temari repeated her earlier words in English. Shikamaru could hear her smile in her voice which in turn brought a smirk to his face. He laughed quietly.

“And you’re my soul.”He copied, as he retrieved the keys from his hoodie pocket and brought the noisy vehicle to life. For the hundredth time in the last month of traveling with Hinata, he was shocked by how easily she seemed to sleep through all that noise.“Now go back to work before your bartender girl hits you with a ruler like last time. I’ve heard your boss yelling at you for the past 10 minutes we’ve been on the phone.”

Temari huffed.”Fine, fine.”She whined, uncharacteristic to her intimidating demeanor.”Just...make sure my boy is safe, alright?”

“Of course. I’ve got it, Tem. You can trust me.”

“I know I can, babe. Thank you, again. I love you.”

“I love you too, my dear best friend,” Shikamaru admitted with a playful lilt to his tone to add more normalcy to the conversation. He hoped it would drain some of the underlying worries he knew had already filled Temari to the brim by now.”I’ll talk to you later, alright? Lemme go rescue red.”

_“Alright. Adios, mi querido.”_

“ _Adios_ , love.”

They hung up, and that queued Shikamaru to go look at the pin Temari had dropped from Gaara. One click on it filled him with relief at the boy’s distance. He’d been worried about a long trip which would both kill him mentally and physically and put Gaara and his partners in danger having to wait super long. Lucky him though, the estimated time of arrival put him at two hours from now. Shikamaru sighed a breath of relief, a small smile gracing his features as he carefully maneuvered the RV out of the parking spot, and then the truck stop, and took off down the road. He hummed, running his fingers through his hair as his goal and plan finally formulated fully in his brain.

“Alright, two hours. That’s almost nothing. Time to go rescue red.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Temari and Shika are best friends, no cap. fair warning, they're not dating at all, and they have never dated!!! I characterized them as very intimate friends in this. They call each other by nicknames generally saved for lovers because I wanted them to be flirty, but they're not romantically involved, they never have been!!!!
> 
> Hinata is scary to wake up, I stand by this. I feel like canon her might hit you in her sleep from anxiety if you tried to wake her, but MY Hinata will deck you if you even just slightly shake her while she's sleeping before it's time to wake up.
> 
> This chapter is a bit shorter than the last few because I felt that it was ready, and I wanted to post it, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!!! I will also be editing some of these other chapters as well BECAUSE I FOUND OUT HOW TO DO THE ITALICS!!!!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated!!!!


	6. {6: Gaara Answeer Your Phone and Save Shikamaru's Number Challenge!}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cavalry is here!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue that one TikTok sound* hey!........how y'all doin???
> 
> JDJJFJHKVJFHFDF I'M SO SORRY I PROMISE!!!!! I COULDN'T ACCUMULATE ANY IDEAS FOR THE END OF THIS CHAPTER PAST SHIKA'S APPEARANCE, AND I DIDN'T HAVE ANY BREAKTHROUGHS UNTIL LAST NIGHT, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT SINCE 9'OCLOCK (working on like two other fics a few times in between)

For probably the thousandth time in the past 3 days, Sasuke sighed heavily.

It had been almost 2 hours since they made what was supposed to be a temporary stop at some lone gas station, but were quickly coerced into staying there because of Temari’s vague explanations of someone coming to pick them up. Gaara and Naruto were basically using him as a pillow. They had been for the past hour. Naruto had curled up on his left and laid his head in his lap, and Gaara quickly followed suit by burying his face in his neck, their sides pressed together. Meanwhile, Kurama and Shukaku were both lying down near their owners’ feet. Sasuke could see Kurama scratching his claws gently on the pavement as he glowered at anything and everything in his line of sight. Sasuke had to commend the cat for his focus on protecting Naruto.

“Gaara, how long till our mysterious rescuer shows up?”

Gaara sighed against Sasuke’s skin, burying his face further into his neck, “I don’t know. Temari hasn’t called or texted since she demanded that we not leave. I don’t even know who it is that’s picking us up.”

Sasuke frowned, nodding slowly to let Gaara know he’d acknowledged his words, but not saying anything more past that. He carded his fingers through the soft blonde hair spilling over his thighs as he surveyed the situation in his mind. The longer they went sitting on the pavement in front of this run-down gas station under its ghostly lighting, the sketchier this felt. He liked Temari, he wouldn’t say he didn’t, but she had a history of doing crazy things and taking crazy risks. If this happened to be one of her crazy-risk times, they were absolutely screwed. At this point, Sasuke almost regrets not calling Itachi or his mom when the car broke down. He knew they all would have come in a heartbeat, and they wouldn’t have set up a rescue in the form of a sketchy pickup by some sketchy guy (unless his uncle, his uncle’s husband, and his uncle and his husband’s girlfriend who were very possibly crime bosses counted as sketchy. In retrospect, they did), but the drawback of that would have been having to deal with his father. If he called them, the chances of them notifying his father were 99.9%.

Needless to say, he didn’t wanna talk to his father right now.

“That’s kinda sketchy.”

“I trust my sister, Naruto.” Gaara said firmly.”She’s crazy as shit, I will admit that, but she’s taken care of me since we were _both_ kids. I trust her to do the same now, as codependent as that may sound.”

“If you trust her, we trust you! I’m just saying, it’s a little-”

A loud ring interrupted his sentence. Sasuke and Gaara jumped in surprise while Naruto squealed. Gaara sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He stared at it with an irritated glare as he checked the caller I.D. As it turned out, there wasn’t one. Huffing with even more irritation before, he promptly ignored the call and turned his phone on vibrate. He stuffed it back deep into his pocket, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Shit that scared me.”Naruto muttered.”Who was it?”

”Don’t know. It was an unknown number, I didn’t answer.”

Naruto nodded. A strong gust of wind blew over the area and he shivered. He curled in on himself even further. He slid his hands in between his thighs, trying to keep his hands warm. It was one of those nights that had been taken over by a cold spell after heavy rain, the wind crisp, and unforgiving of his rather limited wardrobe. His legs were covered only by a thin but long pink skirt he stole from his godfather's husband (basically his other godfather if him playing a big part in raising him, and the way the man treated him meant anything), and his torso by a tiny red crop top he stole from his baby cousin.

Basically, he was cold.

Sasuke wrapped his arm around Naruto, pulling him in closer. Naruto hummed out a lazy thank you to his boyfriend, burying his face into his shoulder. They both turned to look at Gaara as they heard his phone vibrate through his pocket persistently. It was the same unknown caller ID, so he ignored it again. He wasn't in the mood to answer any call if it didn't come from his older sister. He hoped whoever they were got the hint this time.

They didn’t.

As the three of them watched their surroundings diligently, the person called 4 more times. As they watched a large and daunting RV drive into the rest stop and pull into one of the large vehicle parking spots, they called another 4 times, in quick succession. The 10th time they called back, Gaara let out a frustrated yell.“Goddammit! How many fucking times do I have to not answer before they stop calling?!”He complained.

“Just answer it then Gaara. Tell them to fuck off.”

Gaara huffed, nodding. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, irritation stretching across his face as he finally pressed accept call. He put the phone on speaker, a growl in his voice as he spoke, “Who the hell are you, and why do you keep calling me?!”

A beat of silence, and a sigh on the other line.

_“I am...absolutely astonished that in 6 years of me being friends with your_ **_hermana loca_ ** _...you don’t have my number saved, Red! How rude of you!”_

All irritation and anger drained from Gaara’s face as he blinked. Sasuke’s brow furrowed in confusion and Naruto made a confused squawk noise. A moment of realization passed before a shocked smile made its way onto Gaara’s face.

“Shika?”

_“Uh, yeah! You’d know that if you had my number saved,_ **_cabrón_ ** _!”_

Naruto snorted at that. Gaara rolled his eyes.”Why are you calling me in the first place?”He questioned.”I thought you were roaming around since...you know…”

Shikamaru hummed. _”I was. I am.”_ He confirmed. _”But 2 hours ago Temari called begging me to come pick up you and your_ **_novios_ ** _from some sketchy rest stop.”_

_“She wasn’t lying, by the way, this place is_ **_muy boceto_ ** _. Gives bad vibes.”_

A choked noise escaped Gaara’s throat, his eyes widening.”Are you already here?!”

“Hmm. Turn left red.”

Their heads snapped towards the left, and Gaara’s heart leaped with relief as he saw a familiar pineapple head approaching from the shadows near that parked RV. He gave a lazy wave and a small smirk as he hung up his phone and dropped it in his pocket. At the same time, Gaara stumbled to his feet, launching himself at his friend as soon as he got close enough. They hugged tightly, Gaara burying his face in his Shikamaru’s neck. Shikamaru felt warm. He smelled pleasantly familiar, his scent so much like Temari’s without him even needing to be near her. Gaara could feel his anxiety washing away as Shikamaru’s hands pressed into his back and hip comfortingly. He still knew how to calm him down.

He’d never been as close to the Nara boy as his sister, those two couldn’t be anything less than soulmates, even if just platonically, but he enjoyed Shikamaru’s company well enough. He’d grown attached to the lazy, cloud-watching, deer obsessed goofball since being forced into friendship with him at the angsty age of 13. Shikamaru could read him like an open book. He could always tell when Gaara was upset, but would never force him to talk about it, often opting to instead deflect to something entertaining and fun to cheer him up until he was ready to talk about it. He never bullied him, always let him talk about whatever interests he had, and on multiple occasions had helped him, Kankuro, and Temari dress their wounds and let them cry on his shoulder. Sure he was kind of weird, but he was also nice and nonjudgemental and fun.

Out of all the crazy people Temari knew that she could have chosen to pick them up, Gaara felt immensely relieved that she chose him.

Shikamaru sighed. When he pulled away and could see the bruises on the redhead’s face with more clarity, he felt angry. Angrier than he had in a long time, which said a lot since he’d been in a similar situation to this one not even a month ago. As much as he hated to admit it, this one hurt worse, and the longevity of which he’d been aware of it didn’t help much. He leaned forward, kissing Gaara on the temple as his fingers gently dragged down the bruise across his eye.

”I kinda really wanna kick Rasa’s ass right now.”He muttered.”More than usual.”

“You and me both.”

Shikamaru pulled away, and Gaara noticed as his attention turned to Naruto and Sasuke. They had stood up as well, Shukaku and Kurama standing at their feet. He sent the two a lazy yet friendly grin.“Yo. I’m the cavalry that crazy wench Temari sent to pick you up. Name’s Shikamaru Nara.”He introduced himself.”Sorry to have my hands all over your boyfriend like that. It’s just been a minute since I’ve seen him.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sasuke, and the dork is Naruto.”Sasuke replied politely. Naruto smiled, tossing up a little wave.”And don’t worry about it. He’s your friend. We get it. We’re just thankful you came to help us.”

Shikamaru waved him off.”It’s no problem. I was only two hours away.”He explained.”And even though she is a wench, Temari is _mi alma_ , so when she asked me to come and help you and red out, it was a no brainer.”

Naruto beamed.”Awww, that’s so cute! You call her your soul!”

“Well, she is my soulmate in every aspect except romantically. Sadly. She’s also still an aggressive wench who gives me migraines, so.”

Gaara snorted, rolling his eyes. He wanted to defend his sister, but 1. He knew it was true, and 2. He recognized that this was simply how they talked about each other. And to each other. They communicated through a strange mix of playful bullying, and platonic flirting that never actually looked platonic. Too many times they'd been mistaken to be dating, to be exes, and to simply outright hate each other, but no one outside of them and their friends could very come to a unanimous and accurate decision on what they actually were. Gaara knew them well enough to know that they derived pleasure from confusing the hell out of anyone who got to experience a conversation between the two of them.

He’d gotten used to it.

“Alright, well, we should probably stop sitting in this sketchy ass parking lot now.”Shikamaru mused.” C’mon. I will welcome you to my humble abode.”

Naruto and Sasuke looked confused as Shika walked away, but Gaara knew exactly what he referred to as his ‘humble abode’. Quickly leaning down to pick up his cat and his backpack, he followed after the Nara boy, gesturing for his boyfriends to hurry up. The other two pieced it together when they came to a stop in front of the large RV they’d seen pull into the lot not even 10 minutes ago. They could hear the motor still running, and felt warmth buzz through them as they got closer. Shikamaru opened the door carefully, seemingly cautious about something. He walked in first, looking down both ends of the vehicle before gesturing for the other three to follow him.

“Put your stuff down wherever. You can let the cats loose too if you want, but if your cat starts stealing my lighters again, Gaara, we’re gonna fight. And I don’t mean me and you.”

Sasuke snorted. Naruto giggled. Gaara rolled his eyes for the 2nd time since Shikamaru’s arrival. His demeanor had changed considerably within a short amount of time of Shikamaru being there, his anxiety seeming to wash away if even just the slightest bit while in the other's presence. They all dropped their backpacks on one of the leather seats, and Gaara and Naruto deposited their demon guard-cats on the couch. They quickly left that spot, instead opting to wander around the RV instead.

Naruto plopped down on the couch, sighing as he relished in the warmth of the home vehicle.”Do you possibly have any food? Their snacks were all literal years old.”He said, and they knew he was referring to the gas station. Sasuke's nose scrunched as he remembered the overwhelming smell of roaches and rotting food in that place, along with other disgusting scents that made no logical sense to be established inside of a gas station. The place should honestly be closed by now.

“Inane amounts of weed are smoked in this RV daily. Of course, I have food.”

Shikamaru walked over to the kitchen. He took a short moment to rifle through the cabinets, deciding on some chips and a package of untainted cookies to give the blonde. Naruto thanked Shikamaru before starting to devour the bag of chips.

“We really can’t thank you enough for doing this Shika.”

Shikamaru sighed. He turned around to face the anxious-looking redhead, his face pulled into a lazy smirk. He sat down in the empty seat on Gaara’s side, hooking his arm around the younger’s shoulders.“You do not have to keep thanking me, Gaara.”He insisted. Gaara immediately noticed his use of his real name as opposed to the fond old nickname of red.”I don’t have to tell you why I would have never refused Temari’s request for me to pick you up, do I?”

Gaara sighed, shaking his head as he leaned it against Shikamaru’s.“No. You don’t.”

“Good. Now shut up and stop thanking me for being a good friend.”

Shikamaru pulled himself back to his feet.”Alright, I’ve gotta go do some things real quick. I'll be right back.”A few words of agreement later, and he was walking back into the bedroom. He stared at Hinata in the dark, curled up and sleeping peacefully, and as his hand twitched up toward the light switch, he mentally drafted his final will and testament. The lights flashed to life (like his life flashing before his eyes), and Hinata’s body immediately curled up tighter. Her face scrunched in disgust, an irritated grumbling escaping her throat, and Shikamaru actually felt a little bad, if not terrified still. She pulled the hood of her (meaning Shikamaru’s of course) hoodie, trying to block out the light. When that didn’t work, she peeled her eyes open, fury shining in the depths of her lavender irises.

“You better have a good excuse for this Nara, or else I’m ending you right now, and you won’t like how I start the process.”

Shikamaru winced. He decided to swallow the comment about how hot her sleepy voice was, instead walking over to the side of the bed with a nervously apologetic smile on his face. He leaned down to press his lips to her forehead, patting her head soothingly.“Sorry princess.”He said apologetically.”I, uh, need to get the first aid kit, but I didn’t remember where we put it away last.”

Worry replaced the irritation on Hinata’s face, her lips stretching into a frown and her eyes narrowing. She pulled herself into a sitting position, a breathy yawn fighting its way up her throat. She pulled down her hood, pushing her hair out of her eyes and looking the Nara boy up and down scrutinizingly. She seemed to be looking for any possible injury on his person. She made a reach for his hand, and Shikamaru wrapped it in hers within seconds.

“What do you need the kit for? Did you hurt yourself?”

Shikamaru shook his head.”No, none of that. Uhm...we actually have some guests,” He said slowly, “And one of them is injured.”

Hinata’s brow furrowed.”Explain yourself, and explain yourself well, _cerb_.”

Shikamaru sighed. It took only a few minutes to explain the situation to Hinata. She listened intently, not interrupting and her eyes never leaving Shikamaru’s face. He could see the flashes of anger and shock in her eyes whenever he mentioned certain topics, and it took all of him not to flinch at her frightening demeanor. When he finished, he eyed her cautiously, waiting restlessly for her to say _anything_. She hummed, her hand tracing one of the rough scars on her thighs. Shikamaru watched as she wordlessly peeled the blankets away from her body, and dragged herself from the bed. Hinata knelt down by the little desk area on the wall, pulling open the bottom drawer and revealing the First Aid Kit. Hinata stood up and walked over to Shikamaru, a soft yet unwavering smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Come on. You’re gonna introduce me, and I’ll fix up your friend for you.”She said in a way that left no room for argument. She leaned up, pecking him on the cheek.”No offense, but as gentle as you are, you really like to overuse the rubbing alcohol and the other painful stuff deer boy.”

Shikamaru squawked, putting a hand to his chest as he faked being offended. Him being him though, he of course couldn’t hide the little smirk that made its way onto his face. He draped his arms over her shoulders, burying his face in the juncture between her neck and shoulder. He ran his fingers across her back playfully.

”You wound me, princess!”

Hinata giggled. She laid her hand on his cheek, pulling his face to hers so their lips joined in a short kiss.”Come on you lazy _ciudat_. I wanna get back to sleep.”

“Yeah yeah, alright sleeping beauty. Let’s go introduce you.”

The two of them kissed one more time, unable to resist the urge to do so, and walked out of the bedroom.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara were sitting down on the couch, the other two surrounding their red-haired boyfriend as he ran his fingers through Shukaku’s fur. Gaara had his head on Sasuke’s shoulder, the younger’s arm wrapped around his shoulders with his hand resting in Naruto’s hair. Their eyes snapped towards the bedroom at the sound of the door opening, confusion visible on their faces when they noticed the small girl Shikamaru had his arms wrapped around. The girl, barely above the average female height and paler than even Sasuke with big lavender eyes and choppy blue hair, sent them a smile. She seemed to burrow further into Shikamaru’s side, swallowed up by his arms and the huge hoodie wrapped around her body that fit her like a dress.

Shikamaru smiled.”Yo. I accidentally woke this little demon when I went to retrieve the first aid kit, and she was very adamant about saying hello despite threatening my wellbeing when I woke her up.”He explained, expertly dodging the sharp elbow the small girl threw at his side.”Moving on! You three, this is my girlfriend Hinata.”

Gaara raised an eyebrow. He shrugged off his boyfriends’ arms, dropping Shukaku and Sasuke’s lap and standing up.”I was unaware that you had one of those, Shikamaru.”

Hinata chuckled.”Ah. Well, We’ve only been together for a little less than a month. It’s a little new.” She scratched at her neck, a sheepish smile on her face. The movement drew Gaara’s eyes to her neck. He noticed the unmistakable ugly greenish-yellow of a mostly healed bruise in the shape of a hand wrapping around her neck. He blinked. He moved to look away, fully aware of his own staring and the embarrassment he felt because of it, but her eyes caught onto his before he could. Hinata smiled softly, her hand moving to touch the darkest part of the bruise.

“Don’t be embarrassed to stare.”She said, and Gaara desperately wanted to ask how she knew he even was embarrassed, but she kept talking, “I know it’s a little shocking to look at. Sucky dads, am I right?”

Gaara blinked owlishly. He was...surprised. He hadn’t expected to see anyone aside from Shikamaru inside of the vehicle, but he found this girl to be a pleasant surprise. She’d so blatantly hinted at her own abuse with a smile and a joke (albeit a pretty lame one) just to make him feel better, and she clung to Shikamaru like she trusted him with her entire existence despite saying herself that they’d only been together for a few weeks.

She was an interesting person.

Eventually, Gaara’s surprised and confused look turned into a small smile, soft and just the teeniest bit bitter.“Yeah.”He agreed. He ran his fingers through his hair messily, suddenly remembering, ”Oh! Uh, I’m Gaara, by the way. The other two are my boyfriends, Naruto and Sasuke. It’s nice to meet you.”

Hinata grinned. The other two sent her a small wave and she returned it, bouncing up on her tiptoes energetically.”It’s nice to meet you too!”She chirped. She held up the First Aid Kit in her hands, wiggling it around so the contents inside shook.”Uhm, do you think I could help you out with all those bruises before I crash and get tired again? I know how much they suck, trust me. Wouldn’t want them getting infected or anything like that.”

Gaara shook his head.”Oh no, we can handle it if you’re tired. We know we disrupted your sleep. Go ahead and rest.”

“No, I want to! It’s the least I can do since Shika drove all the way here to get you. And will probably have to keep driving later on.”She added, an apologetic smile directed at Shikamaru who just waved her off.”Come on, just let me help out. I should probably clean my own wounds anyway. We can knock out two birds with 1 stone.”

Gaara bit his lip, contemplating. He was very hesitant to accept the offer of help. More so than usual. He didn’t like the idea of anybody else seeing the bruises that littered the out of sight places on his body. He hadn’t even allowed Naruto and Sasuke to see them yet, and despite the fact that Shikamaru had seen him injured plenty of times before, he was apprehensive about letting him see as well. Unbeknownst to Gaara, his anxiety had gotten the better of him again, his nails digging into the soft skin in his palms. Realization finally hit when he felt hands gently peeling his hand open. He glanced over, only then noticing that Naruto had stood up. He’d reacted as soon as he saw Gaara’s hands curl, not wanting him to draw blood like he knew he could. The blonde wrapped an arm around his shoulders, kissing him on the temple.

“You ok?”He murmured.

Gaara nodded, hand shakily falling to rest at his side again.”Mhm. I’m fine. Thank you.”

Hinata smiled sadly. She scratched at the inside of her wrists, the spot where her first tattoo lay on her skin. The nervous tick had popped up out of nowhere sometime after her cousin first gave her the tattoo, a little black cat with some Russian proverb etched into its side, and she hadn’t been able to get rid of it since. Two years later and she still did it whenever she felt awkward or nervous, or even just thinking. Like she was now. She knew all too well how Gaara felt right now. The hesitance of showing people the signs of your own ‘weakness’ (She used weakness very loosely. She didn’t think she or any other abused person was weak, but people who weren’t abused often thought very differently. She hated it), and the embarrassment that came when they finally did see. She knew how much it hurt, and how nerve-wracking it felt.

She and Gaara were too similar for her own liking, and she couldn’t say she liked looking in a mirror right about now.

Shikamaru sighed. His arm slipped from around Hinata as he took the 3 steps it took to get to Gaara. He put his hands on his friend’s shoulders, and Gaara looked up at him.“I know how you feel about letting people see them, but you’ve gotta get them cleaned up.”He muttered.”She’s nice. She’s nice and understanding and patient, and I swear she’ll treat you well. Just let her help you out. Please, red?”

“.....Okay.”Gaara agreed hesitantly, a dark look overcasting his face. He looked to Hinata, lips pulled into a frown, “Can...can we do this in the bedroom.”

“Of course.”Hinata nodded, smiling gently. She reached over grabbing his hand cautiously. She waited, a count of three passing in her head. When he didn’t pull away, she tugged gently at his hand, pulling him along with her.”Come on. We can hurry and get it over with.”

Gaara nodded numbly. Hinata lead him cautiously into the bedroom, the two of them disappearing behind the wooden door with a click. Naruto flopped back down onto the couch with a sigh, curling so deeply into Sasuke’s side that there was no space between them.

“I’m worried about him.”Naruto mumbled.”He’s acting off again. It’s scary.”

Shikamaru hummed. He dragged himself over to the couch, settling in on Sasuke’s other side. He buried his feet underneath himself and curled into his hoodie. He eyed the duo, taking in dark under eyes and pale skin, and noticing how when Sasuke's eyes fluttered closed for a blink, they remained shut for just a little too long. They were obviously exhausted, but the adrenaline from having to remain alert, and anxiety from literally everything the past few days refused to let them succumb to sleep.

_‘Well, there’s nothing I do better than getting people to sleep.’_

“He is off.”Shikamaru said finally, head lolled back to rest on the couch's rim.”He’s off in a valid way for someone like him who never learned healthy coping mechanisms. This is always how he’s been, and the one thing I know best is that with a little bit of care and attention, he’ll be fine. This whole situation is hard for him, and he’s reacting badly, as expected. The most you can do for him is not let him see you worry as he’ll break himself trying to make you feel better, and you can take care of yourselves as well as you do him.”

”Meaning, you both should sleep."He finished, twisting and turning until he settled comfortably into the softness of the couch."You look horrible and exhausted, and that’ll probably stress him out, nevermind come back to bite you both in the ass.”

“But, Gaara…”

“The princess has got him, _rubio_.”Shikamaru interjected, voice already dropping multiple pitches as he began to succumb to exhaustion.”Trust me, she works emotional miracles. She's...magical. She’ll take good care of him, so much so that they’ll probably end up asleep in there within the next hour. That means the three of us get to catch up on some sleep out here, alright? No matter how damn uncomfortable it is to fit 3 people on a damn couch….”

“Fine. You’re right.”Sasuke agreed hesitantly, sighing heavily.”But, why don’t I move to a chair or something? You and Naruto can split the couch.”

“Hm. Don’t even bother emo boy. Just get comfortable however you can, and get your ass to sleep. Even if we are only newly found friends, I’m not afraid to hit you with the self-care mode Shikamaru.”

Sasuke and Naruto both snorted at his words. The Nara, during the whole conversation, had turned onto his side, legs pulled to his chest, and his head on the armrest. With no energy left to argue with their ‘new friend’ as Shikamaru had called them, Sasuke flipped onto his back, cautiously laying his head on Shikamaru’s legs. When the other didn’t complain, he furrowed in further, getting comfortable with his body half on top of a guy who was basically a stranger to him but treated him like a good friend. Sasuke opened his arms expectantly, and Naruto fell into them, just like he knew he would. Naruto wrapped his arms tight around Sasuke, burying his face into the other’s neck. He liked to sleep on top of Sasuke, a fact the other was fully used to.

“G’night.”

“Goodnight.”

“Night-night or whatever. Now shut up and sleep.”

Unable to find an argument on what else to do aside from that, the pair found their eyes fluttering closed, and their minds drifting off to the realm of sleep, all of their anxieties washing away as they succumbed to sleep for the first time in nearly 20 hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is garbage fire ahahahahaha!!!! I'm so sorry for the long length of mediocrity y'all, but like, some of the points here were pretty great, ngl!!! Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed, and I'm sorry for the extended break between updates!!! I can't promise it won't happen again, bc I keep starting new projects and getting distracted-
> 
> I will again remind y'all that I am in a constant state of learning and improvement, not to mention I basically write stream of consciousness!!! I don't plan anything, so sometimes I might go back and edit some random things!!! Especially since I usually update while sleep-deprived and have to go back and fix some shit-
> 
> I'M NOT A PROFESSIONAL, ALRIGHT DAMMIT?!?!?!
> 
> Anyways, KUDOS AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED LOVES, THEY MAKE ME SMILE:)
> 
> (I hate the paragraph lengths this chapter-)


	7. {A/N technically, I think, idk I'm an idiot}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> that one TikTok sound. you know the one. "heyyyy.....how y'all doin?"
> 
> Anyway, NOT A CHAPTER BABES, I'M SORRY!!!

HEYYYY BABES. IS ME. THE DUMB DISAPPEARING BITCH.

Anyways, I'm sorry this hellfire fic hasn't been updated in like 3 months, but I got into a slump because I knew/know what I want to happen, but can't find myself able to write it in a way that satisfies me! I also had holiday stuff and then a lot of schoolwork to catch up on to make sure I passed the semester, and now that exam season is EXTREMELY fast approaching with the start of my 2nd semester, I will sadly have more work to do🙃 Seasonal depression do be hittin lads! Aside from that, I've also started writing like 3 or 4 other fics (mostly Naruto, I'm in a hyperfixating mood) with weirder premises that, if they end up going how I want them, might be posted if y'all are lucky!!😳😳😳

Anywhomst, this is just here to tell y'all, I AM STILL ALIVE, AND NOT TECHNICALLY ON HIATUS AS I AM CONSTANTLY ADDING LITTLE BITS ONTO THE NEWEST CHAPTER TO TRY AND FINISH IT. If you guys actually wanna see any of the unusual fanfictions I wrote as an excuse to mess around with style and rarepairs, say so in the comments because I'll probably pick the one I like most and post it because I kinda like where they're going!! Either that or feel free to pester me in the comments with anime questions and any other questions and stuff!!! I REALLY like answering questions and responding to you guyses sweet comments, as well as talking about anime since it's literally the only thought I'm capable of producing most days! We can be friends😊

Thank you for existing wonderful people, I hope I can come back to you with a chapter in the upcoming weeks!! Bye friends!!!

**Author's Note:**

> A few things to note; - Jiraiya and Orochimaru are Naruto's legal guardians, and they raised him, but he started traveling and living all over after he and Sasuke graduated high school early
> 
> \- Orochimaru is kinda like Sasuke's unofficial godfather who really likes to bully him
> 
> \- Hinata is half-Romanian, Sasuke is half-Bulgarian, Naruto and Jiraiya are half-Puerto Rican, Gaara is half-Columbian, Shikamaru is half-Mexican, and Orochimaru is half-Columbian bECAUSE I C A N. (Their other half is Japanese btw)
> 
> Leave kudos if you like it! Comments with constructive criticism are also welcome!!!!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [From Skinny-dipping to Marriage](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27836935) by [hoeforfanfics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeforfanfics/pseuds/hoeforfanfics)




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